United States, Arizona, Grand Canyon. Sunset at Lipan Point, with the last sunlight hitting some of the rock formations. (Photo Bjorn Grotting)

I recently came back from a trip to western United States, including a couple of days at the Grand Canyon. It was still early February, so I was afraid we would meet some really bad weather up there. To my delight we had cold but nice and sunny winter conditions, with some snow in parts of the park.

I had never visited Grand Canyon before, but a quick Google search told me that the south rim was the place to visit at this time of the year. Arriving from Las Vegas late in the evening we found our hotel in the small town of Tusayan, only 15 minutes south of the park’s visitor center. If you prefer there is also accommodation in the Grand Canyon Village, which is inside the park. Book well in advance if you’re visiting at a more busy season.

Next morning we drove up to the Grand Canyon Visitor center and jumped on the shuttle bus to Yaki Point, from were we should see the Canyon for the first time. As expected the views were breathtaking. Yaki is the easternmost stop on the Kaibab Trail Route. This is one of the few points which is not accessible with your own car, but the shuttle buses stop here frequently, and at this time of year we were almost alone on the bus.

After trying to capture the splendour of the scenery with my camera, which is quite difficult to say the least, it was back on the bus which after a small photo stop returned to the visitor center. The bus drivers were very helpful and willingly shared their knowledge of the area with us.

From there on I prefered to drive myself, since the bus don’t stop at all view points. There was almost no traffic at this time of year, so finding parking spots was very easy. We now followed Hermit Road west of the Visitor Center, through Grand Canyon Village to the first stop; Trailview Overlook.

We only had one full day in the Canyon, so we skipped Powell Point and drove directly from Maricopa to Hopi Point. Hopi Point is the northernmost spot on this part of the south rim, where much of the western Grand Canyon comes into full view.

Still driving westwards on Hermit Road, the next stop was Mohave Point.

Pima Point is one of the best places on the West south rim to see the Canyon and the Colorado River.

United States, Arizona, Grand Canyon. Hermits Rest, the western end of Hermit Road at the West south rim of the Canyon. (Photo Bjorn Grotting)

From Pima Point Hermit Road continues a short distance to the west, ending at Hermit’s rest, were there are rest rooms, a giftshop and a cafe. The views from here are more limited, as the canyon edge is densely wooded, but it is a nice place to take a rest and a cup of coffee.

Trying to make the most out of the day we then decided to head directly to Desert View, which is the first lookout when arriving the park from the east. It’s quite a long drive from Hermit’s rest to Desert View, but we made it in good time before sunset.

United States, Arizona, Grand Canyon. Desert View Watchtower, also known as the Indian Watchtower at Desert View. (Photo Bjorn Grotting)

The many facilities at Desert View also includes the historic watchtower, built in 1932. The Watchtower is visible for many miles across this part of the Canyon. Much of the interior is nicely decorated by a Hopi man named Fred Kabotie, make sure you go all the way to the top of the tower!

United States, Arizona, Grand Canyon. Desert View. with a view of the Painted Desert and Cedar Mountain. (Photo Bjorn Grotting)

A lot of the scenery here also includes a view of the Painted Desert and Cedar Mountain.

In the morning the nice weather started to fade, and it was a really strong, cold wind at the edge of the Canyon, but luckily some small openings in the cloud cover allowed the sun to appear for a few moments, colouring the landscape red.

The cold wind soon forced us back to the hotel, and after a good breakfast we started on the long drive back to California’s warmer coast. But that is another story I will get back to later. in the meantime check out my Grand Canyon Gallery.

Visiting Grand Canyon at winter can bring its own qualities of peace and quiet, snow and good visibility. But bring warm clothes! The Desert View Road can be closed during snow storms, but we had good driving conditions all the way.

Some day I may be back, and hopefully I can then visit the North Rim as well.